America's Jazz Heritage America's Jazz Heritage is a ten-year initiative to research, preserve, and present the history of jazz through exhibitions, performances, recordings, radio, publications, and educational programs at the Smithsonian and across the nation.

BluesLearn about this form of music, it's roots, and some of the artists that played Blues.

Jazz Kids Music ProgramThe JazzKids Music Program is a new approach to teaching children about music. Children learn about jazz and classical music while using their eyes and their ears.

Jazz OnlineOnline magazine brings you all you want to know about what's happening in Jazz.

The Red Hot Jazz ArchiveThe music called Jazz was born sometime around 1895 in New Orleans. It combined elements of Ragtime, marching band music, and Blues. What differentiated Jazz from these earlier styles was the widespread use of improvisation, often by more than one player at a time. Jazz represented a break from Western musical traditions, where the composer wrote a piece of music on paper and the musicians then tried their best to play exactly what was in the score.

The Styles of JazzThis chart of Jazz Styles is derived from Joachim Berendt's The Jazz Book.

World Book - African American Music African Americans have played a tremendous role in American music. Almost all popular music contains elements of African American rhythms and culture. Black spirituals are one of the best known and earliest forms of American music. These religious songs eventually gave birth to the blues. Jazz, which began in the late 1800's, grew out of black folk blues and ballads. And musicians in the mid-1900's combined spirituals, blues, and jazz styles to develop rock and roll.